More than 60 Labour MPs have written to Keir Starmer urging him to back a social media ban for under-16s, with peers due to vote on the issue this week.
The MPs, who include select committee chairs, former frontbenchers and MPs from the right and left of the party, are looking to put pressure on the prime minister as calls mount for the UK to follow Australia’s precedent.
Starmer has said he is open to a ban but members of the House of Lords are looking to force the issue when they vote this week on an amendment to the children, wellbeing and schools bill that would enact one within a year of the bill passing.
The vote could pit Labour peers against the prime minister, who is understood to want to wait to assess the evidence from the Australian ban, which came into force in December.
In the letter, which was organised by Fred Thomas, the Labour MP for Plymouth Moor View, the MPs say: “Across our constituencies, we hear the same message: children are anxious, unhappy, and unable to focus on learning. They are not building the social skills needed to thrive, nor having the experiences that will prepare them for adulthood.”
They add: “Around the world, governments are recognising the severity of this crisis and taking action.” Noting existing or pending legislation in Australia, Denmark, France, Norway, New Zealand and Greece, they say: “We believe the onus must be placed on technology platforms, not parents, to prevent underage access. We would support a model similar to Australia’s that requires companies to take meaningful steps to enforce age limits.”
They conclude: “We urge the government to show leadership on this issue by introducing a minimum age for social media access of 16 years old.”
The signatories of the letter represent a wide spectrum of opinion within the party. They include Helen Hayes, the chair of the education select committee, and Florence Eshalomi, the chair of the housing and local government committee.
Others include Vicky Foxcroft, the former whip who helped lead the rebellion against the government’s proposed welfare cuts, and Catherine McKinnell, a former education minister. The letter has support from some on the left of the party such as Richard Burgon, and on the right such as the prominent “blue Labour” MP Jonathan Hinder.
The weight of Commons support for a ban will put further pressure on the prime minister, who has previously been sceptical about whether such a move would work, but who told MPs at a recent meeting that he would be open to one in theory.
In recent days, government figures have stressed they are concerned that a ban could force children on to the dark web, and they want to see more evidence before committing to enforcing one in the UK.
One source close to Starmer said: “In principle, Keir is in favour of a ban. We can all see the dangers and worry about what is happening to young people’s minds. But there are still big obstacles to overcome with implementation. We can already see that from Australia. We need to take our time and make sure we get this right.”
A Downing Street figure suggested Starmer could give a ban his symbolic support soon, but the government would then take its time over implementation, “ironing out” any difficulties first.
They said: “It’s Keir’s direction of travel but there’s lots of hurdles to overcome first. We’re not going to rush into this.”
Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday: “There are strong arguments for banning under-16s from social media but there are also real concerns raised by the NSPCC and others about whether it pushes children to darker, less-regulated places on the internet.”
Those arguments were reinforced over the weekend by Ian Russell, the father of Molly Russell, the teenager who took her own life after looking at suicide content online. Russell told the BBC’s Newscast he opposed what he called “sledgehammer-like techniques like bans”.
The prime minister’s position will be put to the test this week when peers vote on an amendment by the Conservative member John Nash to the children wellbeing and schools bill proposing enacting an age limit within 12 months of the bill’s passage.
Labour has not said how it intends to vote on the issue yet but several peers are expected to support it regardless of whips’ instructions.
They include the former MP Luciana Berger, who has co-signed Nash’s amendment. She told the Guardian: “The proposal for raising the social media age limit for under-16s enjoys huge support – across the country and within the Labour party. Social media is catastrophically harming children and we must act now to protect them. I urge peers to back our amendment on Wednesday so we can give young people their childhood back.”
